RE: HVAC Fan not engaging all the time. Help?
Steve,
I think they either did what you said or just left a connector disconnected by accident. I'd like to think the latter, but after all the stories you hear..... I don't know what harness they replaced, but there are only 5 wires going to the blower controller using 2 connectors and neither of them have anything to do with the A/C system. Try looking at the connector on the compressor clutch coil. A connector with a Purple wire on one side and a Black wire on the other. If OK, then look at the A/C cycling switch on top of the accumulator/drier under the hood on the passenger's side. It has a Red wire with a Black stripe on one side and a Dark Greeen wire with a Orange stripe on it on the other side. Also, in front of the passenger's front wheel between the compressor and the evaporator coil, there is a connector on the A/C liquid line which connects to the A/C refergerant pressure switch. There are three wires on this connector. One is a Brown wire with a White stripe, the other is a Tan wire with a Light Green stripe on it, and the last wire is Gray with a Red stripe on it. Any one of these wires will stop the compressor with all the other functions working.
Gen2 cars ('97s & '98s) have an inherent problem with the seal around the outside air intake. The seal around the duct dissinergrates and allows rain water into the passenger's compartment down through the outside air intake, through the outside of the outside air/recirculate air flow control valve, down the outside of the blower motor housing and then into and down through the outside of the blower speed controller. The controller is mounted with 2 screws flat under the blower motor at the rear, (actually the front of the passenger's side of the car) which is mounted just under this duct. Water can get in there and wreak havoc. With mine, sometimes everything was OK, sometimes it would not change speeds, or the blower would not work at all. Sometimes all it took was the right way to fix electronics - a swift slap to the right side of the console near the EATC module. For some reason, it would then work. So, I thought that the EATC module was the problem. I found out it wasn't when I took it out of it's mounting screws and just laid the module on the console as far out as it would go and still work. When the blower did not work again, I slammed the controller between my palms, but it did not fix the problem. I hit the side of the console again after holding the EATC module in my left hand and the blower worked again. So, I knew it wasn't the EATC module. The blower speed controller was next, and I found this to be the case. When I opened it, it was filled with water. I eventually had to purchase another used unit. But, before I installed that one, I took it apart and took the circuit board out, I coated the complete circuit board with rubber cement, perminately sealing it and keeping all water out of the electronics on the board. It's been fine for over two years, now. And I never fixed the cause in the air duct, either. Partly because I don't get water inside the passenger's compartment.
YET!
FYI: a Gen 1 blower speed controller works just fine. It is a bit larger and needs the Gen2 mounting brackets, but it works fine and is a pin for pin replacement for a Gen 2 car. It's just longer.
